It was a friend of Abigail Osborn's who located the car now linked to the hit-and-run that took the 16-year-old's life.

Newberry Township Police Sgt. Braxton Ditty, testifying at Monday's preliminary hearing for David Michael Kent Jr., said a young friend of Abigail's went searching for the vehicle. It was in the hours after the teen's body was found on the side of the road in the 3400 block of York Haven Road on April 23.

The friend contacted Abigail's father, who in turn, called police, Ditty said.

After hearing from Ditty, who was the investigating officer and only witness at the preliminary hearing, District Justice Scott Gross ordered Kent, 24, of York Haven, to stand trial.

The charges against Kent are: accidents causing death or personal injury, a second-degree felony; failure to stop and render aid, failure to notify police of an accident, injury or death and careless driving resulting in an unintentional death, all summary offenses; and tampering with physical evidence, a second-degree misdemeanor.

CLOSE

Friends and family remember Northeastern High School student Abigail Osborn as upbeat, spunky and always smiling.
Abbey Zelko, York Daily Record

Abigail, a junior at Northeastern High School and named one of York County's Distinguished Young Women, was critically injured around 1:04 a.m. on April 23 and died from multiple traumatic injuries on April 24 at Hershey Medical Center.

The tampering charge resulted from Kent allegedly covering his car, a 2007 Pontiac G5 owned by his girlfriend's father, with a car cover, hiding the damage on the vehicle from view.

Ditty said Abigail's friend found the car parked legally within York Haven and looked under the cover. Police responded and traced the car to its owner and then to Kent.

Ditty testified that Kent told police he had driven home from the Hanover area in the early morning hours and was nodding off as he drove. Kent reportedly told police he thought he struck "a mailbox or something."

Ditty said Kent was "mostly cooperative" and "appeared remorseful" when questioned by the police. At Monday's hearing, Kent sat between his attorneys and paid close attention to Ditty's testimony.

David Michael Kent Jr.(Photo: Submitted)

Kent did not take the stand in his own defense nor were any defense witnesses called. Neither is unusual at the preliminary hearing level where a district justice determines whether there is enough evidence for an accused person to face further prosecution.

During cross-examination by defense attorney Patrick Lauer, Ditty said there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs being a factor in Abigail's death.

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Crimes of the most notorious kind have struck York countians since the county formed in 1749. In fact, York County was created from Lancaster County so York could have its own sheriff in town. So with crime seemingly all around us locally - and nationally - we'll offer in this gallery (updated, 10/29/16) a sampling of the most terrible crimes in York County in the past century in this photo slide show. Actually, not all the crimes happened within York County's borders. Pictured here is the murder scene on Sunday, March 20, 2016, at the Fort Littleton exchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A shooter took the life of former York City Police officer Ronald Heist, who was working as a turnpike contractor, and a turnpike worker. State police killed the assailant, former state trooper Clarence Briggs at the scene. - Jim McClure Pa. Internet News Service

Ronald Heist , third from right, is seen as a member of the York City canine unit in May 1969. Heist was working for Schaad Detective Agency of York, a contractor for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, when he was shot March 20. Courtesy of Dennis Smith

The slaying of Nelson Rehmeyer came after two of the assailants - John Blymyre and Wilbert Hess - believe he cast a spell on them or their families. Joined by John Curry, the trio attempted to steal a lock of Rehmeyer's hair and a book of spells. They believed the farmer was a witch. Their robbery turned into a homicide in remote southern York County. York Daily Record file

We're now at soon-to-be 50 years ago - 1969. Race rioting erupted in York, Pa., as it did in many U.S. cities. Two died in the violence - a black woman and a white police officer. York Daily Record file

Lillie Belle Allen, a visitor to York, was a victim of the rioting. She was riding in an automobile when it became stuck on the Newberry Street railroad tracks. She climbed out to assist and was gunned down. York Daily Record file

Henry C. Schaad, a young York City police officer, was riding in an armored car when a bullet pierced its side and struck him. He died several days later. The assailants of Allen and Schaad were not brought to justice until the new millennium. York Daily Record file

In the year 2000, a grand jury was impaneled to investigate the murders of Schaad and Allen. After months of legal proceedings, three people were convicted or pleaded guilty in the death of Schaad. Seven men were convicted or pleaded guilty in Allen's death. Here. members of the Schaad and Allen families meet after the conclusion of trials. York Daily Record file

About the time that the York County race riot trials were coming to an end, the fratricide case of Zachary Witman came to court. He was accused of killing his younger brother, Gregory, in his New Freedom home. York Daily Record file

The young man and woman survived, and William Babner went to prison in what is, in effect, a life sentence. He would be eligible for parole if he lives to be 158 years old. The crime took place near this railroad overpass in East Manchester Township. York Daily Record file

Let's back up a bit. To the 1990s. York County experienced a slate of horrific crimes that decade. Here we have Hubert Michael, who kidnapped a young women in the Dillsburg area in 1993, took her to state gamelands, raped her and then shot her three times. Associated Press

Here's another guy who has aged ungracefully in prison. After a nine-day trial, Mark Newton Spotz was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1996. He killed four people, including a York County woman. York Daily Record file

Mark Spotz of Clearfield County was sentenced to die for killing Penny Gunnet, a York New Salem resident. Spotz also killed two other women. His crime spree started in Clearfield County where he shot his brother in an argument over a gerbil. York Daily Record file

Early in the decade, Paul Gamboa–Taylor of York went on a rampage. He killed 5 family members with a ballpeen hammer in 1991. One managed to survive. This is one of the largest mass murders in York County history. York Daily Record file

The new millennium brought unfortunately - and deadly - crime in schools. Here, William Stankewicz is arrested after attacking students and teachers at North Hopewell-Winterstown Elementary School in 2001. York Daily Record file

Machete-wielding madman William Stankewicz wounded 11 kindergartners in his attack in 2001. Principal Norina Bentzel, right, subdued the assailant of his weapon and sustained hand wounds in taking heroic actions. Bentzel later wrote a letter saying she forgave Stankewicz, but the prisoner, serving what amounts to a lifetime term in prison, refused to accept the letter. York Daily Record file

In 2003, a student shot his principal in a York County school - again in the Red Lion School District. Eighth-grader Jimmy Sheets pulled the trigger in his middle school's cafeteria. York Daily Record file

The motive or provocation for the shooting has never been disclosed. Some students experienced the Stankewicz attack at the elementary school and the shooting at the junior high. Those present the day of the attack left their handprints in a memorial on the cafeteria wall. York Daily Record file

Darisabel's death troubled and incensed the community, causing the community to rally against child abuse. It was the highest profile crime in the past decade. For a story and photos about other major crimes in York, cut and past the following address into your browser and search: http://on-ydr.co/1U2iDkE. For to sign up for a twice-a-week York County history newsletter, check out: http://bit.ly/1YrUG6Z. York Daily Record file

Cameron Bailey feeds his infant daughter, Aleta Bailey, a bottle. In 1982, when Cameron was away for military training, his wife's boyfriend beat the 5-year-old to death. Aleta Bailey's name was remembered when the York County community wrestled with the beating death of another youngster, 2-year-old Darisabel Baez of York. York Daily Record file

Many of the cases up to this point have been solved. The killer in the 1980s slaying of Tina Knaub has not yet been brough to justice. For a page full of stories about cold cases awaiting resolution, cut and paste this link: http://bit.ly/2ePZ3Hp. York Daily Record file

This cold case - the slaying of Judy Smith in 1995, has been reopened after it seemed to fall into a void between a couple of police departments.More about this case: http://bit.ly/1WwFaHK. - Jim McClure York Daily Record file